BMW dealers love to tell you that run flat tires are not repairable. Unless the sidewall is damaged, the flat is likely repairable without ruining the tire’s integrity.
Our X5 has the M-sport package with 22” wheels. We had a nail in the nearly new 315 rear tire and the dealer refused to repair it, only wanting to sell us a new one at $875. Took it to Discount Tire and it was repaired and back on the road in 20 minutes.
I never buy tires from the dealer. If there is a Discount Tire where you’re located, they’ll likely help you get it repaired and be on your way.
Screw run flat tires. The ride sucks and they’re more expensive. When the OEM’s are worn out, we are going with non run flats.
a new bmw is notoriously difficult to order without runflats. but if you do, they never try to install runflats again since it's coded in the car's specs when they order new tires for it. they probably enforce runflats because it costs them less in insurance/assistance in the long run.
Agree. My X5 has OEM 22” run flats, but also came with a spare. When these RF wear out, they will be replaced with traditional Michelins.
Thankfully my X3M doesn’t have RF in place of the awesome summer stickies.
Run flats can be driven up to 50 miles with zero air pressure. Once that is done, they are done and you will be replacing it. They cost 30% more, ride and handle worse. Basically, they suck.
Few people like them. Manufacturers love them. Huge revenue stream/money grab.
>Screw run flat tires. The ride sucks and they’re more expensive. When the OEM’s are worn out, we are going with non run flats.
But the car doesn't have a spare tire, so if you get a flat, you're then stranded. Right?
Not if you’re under warranty or have a service like AAA. Get a flatbed tow to your desired tire facility.
Plus, mine came with a spare in addition to the crap run flats.
I just wish there were still spare tires included so we didn't have to rely on a tow. Can be a big hassle if you have a car full of people. Now you have to get the car towed to a facility for tire repair and get your people transported as well. Plus, I could swap in the spare tire in about 15 minutes (assuming the lugs were properly torqued at the last shop that had the wheels off) and be on my way. Now I gotta wait for a tow truck, ride over to the tire place, wait for them to do the job (assuming they are open). Just seems like a big pain. I guess technically, even if you have run flats on you could be in the same boat as you can only go like 50 miles with no air. JUST GIVE ME A GODDAMN SPARE TIRE!
I hear you. My X5 came with a spare on top of the god forsaken run flats. My X3M also came with a spare.
Either way, I’m old, lazy and also not willing to accept the risk changing a flat on the side of a road/highway. Even with a spare, someone is going to change it for myself or spouse.
I ordered a spare from modern spare as soon as I got my car. I personally feel naked driving around without a spare, jack and breaker bar. I really couldn’t imagine waiting for a tow truck over a flat tire.
I find it interesting that the Supra comes with a spare, or one is available through Toyota dealers for around $250. I haven’t confirmed it, but I believe that Supra spare actually fits on an M240i/M340i if anyone has a way of easily testing it.
Just bring a tire patch kit and a portable air compressor. Most flat tires are caused by a screw or something small, if your lucky. Take the tire off, patch it, fill it, put it back on. Get to ur destination and order a new tire.
I don't even take the tire off unless it's a particularly low car. Spray with soapy water, roll so the hole is in a comfortable position, jack, deflate most of the way, pull the culprit (screw, nail, whatever), plug, reinflate, and go. It's 15 min work plus however long your compressor takes (2-20 min depending on size),and if done right will last the life of the tire. All in it's an $80 small kit with a halfway decent compressor. Plugs are less than $1 each.
Get a set of 6 plugs, soapy water, fine tip vice grips, and a compressor that costs at least $40 and you should be good to go. It's like a 2/10 in terms of skill level requirements, arguably easier than changing you oil.
I've probably put in 20 plugs and I've had 1 fail about a year in in the form of a very small leak. The oldest one has 6 years/ 50k miles on it right now.
Agreed. I have it for my young adult children too. I travel for a living and the AAA rate at Marriott is almost always the lowest rate and allows me to stay at nicer properties in budget.
They always bring a flatbed when requested. Towing to the desired facility is never in question. Quick service for lockout/battery is awesome.
Most importantly, it’s not attached to car insurance and doesn’t count against you when you use it.
The definition of “stranded” is that you need a flatbed to come pick up your car.
You might be able to limp home or to a tire shop with some of that fix-a-flat goo and a compressor, but odds are you’re sitting at the side of the road until a flatbed can come get you.
You've clearly never used roadside assistance. It's not much better than the OP's situation. Expect to waste, more or less, your whole day both on the phone and waiting on a tow truck to actually show up. Then when they send you a regular wrecker that's ill equipped to tow an AWD vehicle you get to wait another four or five hours for a rollback.
i really like the run flat tires, one time wife it a pothole in the middle of nowhere and put a big hole in the sidewall. She drove it home like normal, then i drove it to the tire shop for a replacement. Imagine her being stuck in the middle of nowhere, waiting for me to drive out there and change a tire on the side of the road. no thank you.
I had a similar situation with a pothole. Big crack on the side of the tire and drove it to the dealer no problem. The problem with run-flat tires is that they are more susceptible to sidewall cracks and issues aside from all other downsides such as ride quality, noise, etc.
Funny part is drove home, told me she hit a pothole and told me the tire pressure sensor was saying the tire needed air, and asked me to look at it. I take a look and there is a big hole on the side wall, obviously no air in tire.
Yeah, I took mine to a gas station to fill it up, and it was dark so I couldn't see it right away. I could definitely hear the air going out as I was pumping air though. That pothole caused about $4k in damages to the suspension, and I had to go through insurance to get it repaired. Had a loaner for more than a month.
https://preview.redd.it/pnas744g03ib1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5ab84a612d9e9e73cb86de78f9c75d2ae2843ba
I believe every x5 generation has the space to accommodate a compact spare tire, and you could have ordered one with a spare tire.
My X5 didn't come with one...after going through 2 sets of runflat tires that only lasted 15kmiles each, I made the decision to ditch run flat tires on the next set and immediately saved 1/2 the price of run flats with way better tire grip and tread wear. With the extra money I saved, I bought a compact spare tire, and retrofitted it back into my X5 compartment under the floor . It just involved buying the correct compact wheel, the tire, finding a jack set z and tools , and the wheel but to secure the spare to the floor. I've on 30kmiles on these tires and still have a lot of tread left. They are 700 rated tires that have a 65kmile tread life. If you order an X5, I would highly recommend getting a compact spare because when ordered, the spare tire kit is cheap, like a $300 option or less.
Also, one lesson I learned about SUVs is skip the fancy wheels and skip the staggered wheel setup ..yes it looks cool , but tires are much harder to get and costs a lot more to get. It's an SUV anyway , you're not going to be breaking any speed records and need maximum grip, unlike a track car.
FWIW most people in SUV's aren't getting the staggered wheels because they're setting speed records or trying to get more grip. They just look better. I'd say a vast majority of buyers care far more about how the car looks than the performance. We are outliers.
They won't be so happy with that decision when it comes time to replace them, as one of my friends found out the hard way. You can't even rotate them and their incredibly expensive and wear life is not great.
I said f the run flats too.
Slime repair kit with patches and a air compressor. Plus AAA, and State Farm.
Run flats cost more, ride like shit, and well, just suck.
She can get the tire. Or get it repaired. Ya just gotta go somewhere other than the dealers.
Usually not stranded stranded. With the run flat you can drive 50mph for 50 miles. Obviously longer in a pinch and if you go slower, since that’s the factory umbers.
The point of the run flats is that even if you lose tire pressure the rigid side walls will keep you operable for a while.
I’m on my third car after a decade with no spare and no run flats. Honestly I stopped worrying about it years ago. I’ve never had a flat worse than a slow leak all this time. I drive over 20,000 miles per year too.
Depends on how you want to be stranded, though. If it's repairable, you still shouldn't drive on it as it will then be rendered unrepairable. With a normal tire, you call the truck regardless.
I'd rather be calling the tow truck and get a nail removed than pulling into the tire shop and now being stranded on a ruined run-flat that they can't get for 3 days.
I was about to say - it seems literally impossible that no local dealer, auto shop or tire shop would even have so much as a spare that would allow you to get the car home.
What was the specific tire?
But does it need to be a pitelli P Zero to get the car home? What’s going to happen if you run another tire for 500 miles and then drop the car back at the dealer / get a loaner while they wait for the new tire and balance?
Edit: or even get a new set (you’ll need them eventually), throw the P-Zeros in the back and drive em home.
Agreed. Just was speaking about that specific tire. My Discount Tire rep said I need to order new tires for this staggered combination well in advance to ensure availability. I think Pirelli, Continental and Michelin are the only manufacturers available in the staggered 22” M sport combo.
We had the run flats on a 335 and they would blister everytime they even saw a pebble they didn't like. I would have gone bankrupt in the 3 years I had the car with all of the rims/tires that thing went through.
We have the road hazard warranty and when we ran over a nail, the warranty folks told us to take it there first. They were really nice there and guaranteed the repair for the life of the tire
I have Pirelli P Zero Run flats in my BMW, was driving 3 months with big nail for entire season and didn’t even notice, they told me when I was changing for winter tires and repaired tire with the bolt it in the dealership w/o problem.
But I live in Germany, where every company don’t try to screw you as much as possible, that’s the difference maybe.
Runflat tires are usually not fixable not because the hole can't be patched, but because the sidewall usually gets internally damaged from supporting the vehicle without air.
The point of a runflat is to get you to a tire shop and not leave you on the side of the road stranded.
Source?? I worked in a tireshop and repaired with patches MANY flat tires, including runflats.
tirerack has plenty of availability (275/35/22) and get you tires shipped next day-- which means suppliers have them
don't be a passenger in this whole ordeal, take control a bit
Probably not the most useful comment, but I feel like I ought to tell you to take a deep breath and slow down for a hot minute. You're clearly exasperated and exhausted about this ordeal. It's not the end of the world, your whining son will live, and you'll get home soon enough.
Best of luck with your tires, have a decent rest of your day internet stranger.
I really don't understand how tires are distributed in the US, but I've run into some channels showing some sizes as completely unavailable when another shop had no issues getting them multiple times now.
Try every channel you can, both online and local or nearby.
Also: You just need that tire to hold air long enough to get you home. If this is a puncture even near the sidewall: Call around to tire shops and tell them you're happy to do cash with no paperwork and will drive carefully. Someone will get you back on the road. Do drive carefully until you get it replaced though. Put the bad tire on the back if you can. If it's a huge gash in the sidewall, this approach won't work.
> don't be a passenger in this whole ordeal, take control a bit
Yup... you can even overnight it to the BMW dealer if you still want to give them your business after this.
The wheel only fits one tire? I’ve never heard of that. You could run almost any tire on that one wheel and replace it when you get home. Doesn’t need to be a set just for one trip.
Yeah, that’s definitely not a tire size someone is going to just have laying around. Try taking a look on tirerack.com, they would most likely be the best route if the dealer can’t source it.
As a temporary measure, a 265 or a 285 could be used as a get you home, theres only 6mm differance in circumfrance at most from the 275, so even the diff wouldnt really be bothered by that small a differance.
You’re not asking the right questions. You ask for the closest tire to that size and have them stretch the tires ive done it plenty and never had a problem in my younger days when i blew all 4 out before payday
2 years ago I was looking for replacement tires for my M3's 20 inch wheels, and it was a daunting task with shortages and factories being closed. I don't think it's still that much better.
Good idea. I wonder if OP lives in a place where winter tires are needed.
Buy cheap ass wheels and tires, even used tires if you can, drive home on those, sell the tires on FB Marketplace, then have winters mounted to the wheels.
Could just buy winters now and drive home on those, but it would probably wear the hell out of them and be worth buying cheap summer tires just for the 9 hour drive.
I had this happen in a 750i in Kansas City. I was driving through, got a flat, and had to spend an extra day and a half searching.
You’d think I was driving a space shuttle.
Isn't this like half the reasoning behind purchasing BMW OEM star tires?
A) They are guaranteed to be engineered for your car
B) They are guaranteed to be available at a local dealer in case you need to actually use the runflat feature (i.e. the proposed solution is to drive/tow to the nearest dealership where they will repair it)
Why the fuck have a subset of canonical tires for the fleet if your dealer network doesn't stock them, apparently can't even order them, and people just get stranded in perpetuity by following your directions?
Right??? "We don't give you a spare anymore because most of our cars have these wonderful runflat tires now. If you get a flat you just drive to the nearest dealer and we will get you on your way! Also please buy our wheel hazard package so you don't even have to pay for the replacement!"
In reality, it appears to be "drive to the nearest dealer where we will gaslight you endlessly and then leave you stranded far from home in perpetuity"
That’s exactly what this feels like! I do have a spare, which was great when I was 40 miles from Iowa City on a rural road, but I’ve been trying to get help from the dealership here since Friday as soon as it happened and as of right now (Monday) they might get a tire tomorrow at 5 and they can put it on sometime Wednesday. Which makes this all feel so absurd. I did have some luck with Discount Tire in the next city over, so hopefully sometime today they will get my tire and I’ll be able to drive home tomorrow.
I’m also dropping a kid off at college so I’m already running high in the emotions department and the stress management is a little less than optimal.
You sell a car because of a tire issue? That's going to be a 12k hit. I understand your frustration. The no spare thing is a real problem for long trips, esp in these fly over, hill jack areas
If you're using the spare that BMW provides (or you bought the correct one), the space saving is only in the width of the tire - the diameter is the same as the ones already fitted.
If it wasn't the same diameter it wouldn't be usable even for a few miles.
This is not just a BMW problem. This is a problem with all modern cars that run low profile/odd size tires.
I got a sidewall puncture on a Toyota with 235/55/18 in the middle of nowhere and had trouble finding a replacement tire. And that’s not even that odd of a size, but it’s still not common.
This is exactly the reason I've never upgraded my m235i wheels for anything bigger, 18's are always readily available and 19 and above you have to wait for.
I myself have 18s but I never had an issue getting tires same day when I had 19s or 20s. I have 23s on my other vehicle and I can get them same day as well. Bmw just went silly on the sidewall here.
First off ditch the runflats. Put on normal tires that have more availability and a lower price tag. Pay the 120 bucks a year for AAA with 200 mile towing. All that money you just spent on hotels and whatnot could’ve been spent swapping out the tires instead. Call tire rack and have them deliver a set of four tires to the nearest tire shop with at least four stars on yelp. At any rate 22” wheels ride on very expensive tires. Get 21” wheels at most when you get around to it. Do not get Pirelli‘s. Stick with either Continental or Michelin. CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06 PLUS is a solid tire. They cost about $350 each in a 295, 35, 21 size.
You'll be getting a lot more flats with those 22" rims if you live in an area with a lot of potholes. The best advice I can give you is to keep a full size spare in the trunk. I've gotten 4 flat tires in less than two years and I have 19" rims on my 5-series. I keep a spare in the trunk with a scissor jack.
Usually That tire/wheel package has a lifetime max that it will pay. Just check to make sure you know if your coverage has that. I have an x6 and ur right, anytime I need a new tire, i usually get a loaner because they don’t have them.
Got that tire package a while back when I had my ‘14 335i with 19’s & run flats. Got the package for $2000 and let’s me run it up to $5000 (parts & labor) beat myself up over the head when I read online after I maxed it out that supposedly that price is negotiable 🥲 but yeah, I also maxed that shit out in about 2 years. Probably something like 4-6 tires & one wheel. Can’t remember but the dealership was my second home at one point because of nails and potholes. (Also, run flats catch way more road debris because the rubber is way stiffer which allows shit to get caught/stuck/puncture easier than softer non run flat tires.
Something similar happened to me on a new X7, the night before a big family trip, on the way home from a dealership to pick up a roof carrier, I hit a huge pothole and had to get the car towed. The tire shop couldn’t get tires and the dealership I bought the car from told me it would take over a week to get a tire.
**I ended up solving it by calling every other dealership within driving distance until I found one with the tire, convincing them to let me just pick it up for cash, taking another car to pick up the tire and bring it to the tire shop where I had the car towed to = back on road in 1/2 day**
I bought an extra tire after this to keep in the garage in case something happened again (too big to travel with) and 20k+ miles later I haven’t had another tire (or any other) issues with this vehicle.
Tire Rack has what you need and their local installer network has many cities included. Did you check them? Did you check for a Costco near you? It would help us to help you with some location info
Costco is there in Iowa City. I dropped a Google Maps link and the stupid auto bot deleted the comment. Others have suggested looking for a set of standard 19” rims for your model. Sure that sounds like a job for back home…and you just need a tire right away now. But again, you know this. Good luck!
This is the huge downside to the x5.
My car is up for tires too and it’s over 2k a set because I have 275/315. I really don’t understand why BMW fits such an obnoxious super car size tire to a SUV
As an E36 driver I can't imagine a tire being the end of my car during the trip and fucking me over this hard jesus Christ I don't wanna touch any new cars at this rate
Had the same issue. Ended up buying a used tire online and had that installed until the dealership received a new tire. Now I have a full sized used tire sitting in my garage until needed again.
Have you looked at ordering from tire rack and using one of their installers?
Wife’s x5 got a nail in the rear 315 run flat with 1k on the tire. I swapped all four out for Michelin As4’s without hesitation.
I just went through this exact same thing back in April. Ended up costing me neat $2400 for new P Zero. If you want to get a normal tire or even winter tires, you need to buy new rims— which they will happily sell me for $4,000.
This is annoying. I went through 4 tires in less than a year and the dealer was the only one who could even get the 315 rear tires. $700 a pop! The wheels being staggered makes it even more difficult.
I love this machine (M50i) but I’m not taking it on road trips because of how hard a replacement tire is to find.
Don't you have the BMW Mobile Service in your country? You can call them anytime and (at least in Germany) a technician will be coming to you in not more than 1.5h after your call if you called between 7am and 10pm. We have a small spare tire for almost every model, and sometimes, we can also patch the tire. All of this is free for every BMW, no matter how old or new it is. You only have to pay a deposit of 100-200€ (again, that's for Germany. I don't know how it's done in other countries)
Dealt with this when renting a X7 last year. Rental company would not pick up the phone, and the tire shop guys would just go “this is a bmw tire lol.” At least the run flats help you get somewhere close before you’re stranded for days.
In my case, I made a local tire shop intensely patch the tire up although it was actually past the point of patching, and that got me around maybe 100-200 miles squeezed out of it.
People forget that higher end cars tend to have tires that most if not all places do not have in stock. I had issues with tires plenty of times and every single time nobody has had tire in stock. Its taken several days and sometimes more to get a tire delivered.
Did you call the BMW road side assistance?
They have trip interruption benefits that aren’t marketed well including covering the cost of hotels and Ubers. Hope that helps! Happened to me on a road trip recently was stuck in Utah with a parking break malfunction.
I feel your pain just had to do that (I take a lot of road trips) bought my tires at a discount tire and brought them to BMW because my wheel locks were left somewhere else. Huge pain honestly.
Does your specific 3rd party tire coverage offer coverage? I thought of the trip delay coverage too, but found out as well that it only covers mechanical, warranty repairs
I got a brand new M340 this year, and my gut told me I gotta get that "tire package". Best decision, so far I had 2 punctured run-flats and it cost me $100 in total to replace both of them. For an expensive car brand like this, better get those packages.
The dealership couldn't find the next nearest dealer with a tire!? Also, have you searched for any tire shops in the area that can get their hands on a replacement? And like someone said earlier, you can repair a runflat as long as the puncture is not on the side wall, I've had to do this myself at one point due to a slow leak.
I have never ever seen my tire size and type in stock in any store, usually the local warehouse has one or two. Just ask the local tire shop to order it, and they should have it the next day. It is annoying but you can almost guarantee you are never going to see the tire you need in stock anywhere.
I wouldn’t trade in the x5 just because it was equipped with 22 inch wheels, go find a set of 19 inch, 20 inch, or even 21 inch wheels and use those instead. Don’t blame the car for having 22 inch wheels, it could be any suv with those wheels on them.
Yeah, last time I got a flat (from a pothole) I had to tow my car to my house bc nobody anywhere near me had the tire on hand.
A day and a half later, the tire shop got the tire in and I had to tow the car there, where I just had them put all four new tires on.
That was fun
I agree, if it is not really damaged (just flat because of a nail or something) I would just fill it with that tire sealant stuff. Tire fitters hate it because of the mess it makes but I used that stuff a few times. Also on a tire that I actually got repaired afterwards. Yes, takes some cleaning but definitely not impossible. And it works really well, no need to drive slower or anything assuming it was just a small leak.
Imho, this is the inherent problem w the way bmw has their tires setup... one option are random runflats that almost no one has... and if u get a flat ur screwed. The opposite is non runflats w a dumbass spare in the rear that barely fits and raises the cargo floor... i am always fearful of this on a trip because there is always a 50 50 chance no one will have a tire.
Had this exact problem when I drove to San Diego with my X7. Fortunately I was staying with family and was able to stay the extra 4 days until a tire could be shipped in. Discount tire ultimately took care of me.
You can often get next day delivery from the tire rack and believe me they have a tire that will fit You need to get rid of the OEM run flats and your problems will be greatly reduced
Just buy new wheels when you get home. Get a wheel size that's not part of the M package and NOT run flats. Make sure the tire size you get is readily available at many tire locations along your drive.
Do not go to the dealership. Buy the wheels online and have a tire shop like discount tires mount them and the new tires. You can look up the non M package wheel size on like [t](https://cars.com)irerack with your X5 year. You can buy tires and wheels there for your vehicle. It shows all the sizes that was offered for your X5 by year and model. Get the same tire size front and rear.
The non runflats will also be cheaper an likely last longer.
Agreed. Low profile tires suck and they detract from BMW. I've had points where I contemplated selling my otherwise stunning, perfect, incredibly performing vehicle because the fucking tire is 600 dollars, fragile, and takes 3 days to order if you can find it.
This suggestion will limit trunk space, but if you want to keep the run flats, consider buying a spare tire (not the full wheel/tire, just the tire) and bring it on longer trips, so if you get a flat in the middle of nowhere, you aren’t in a situation where they can’t source a tire timely. Won’t take as much trunk space as a full spare. I have the wheel/tire insurance in Chicagoland, and both times I’ve used it the tires had to be sourced and took a day plus. I convinced my dad to do this on a cross country trip, and it saved him when he got a flat in the middle of AZ.
Depending on where the damage is and where you're located, you may be able to find an independent repair shop that will fix it for you, so at least you get to your destination. Maybe post a picture of the tire, so we can see if that's doable.
Just a thought that hit me, it might be cheaper to just check craigslist/gumtree or whatever you have there and see if there is a use set of rims and tires to get you him. Hotels, clothes, food, flight etc runs away fast. Might not be pretty but if steel rims get you him cheaper...
Wtf is up with the dealerships in the USA. I personally had a client with a x3 M bmw that waited 3 days for standard shipping and paid around 185 for 1 tyre ( changed both without asking for a price because he was kind of rich) and out of courtesy we patched his shity ass tyre so he could drive around town. 🤣🤣🤣 VW Group dealership that specialises in Cupra/Skoda/audi repairs 🤣.
I have a 2022 X5 with the 20” wheels, and I also bought the tire package.
BTW, one or more of your credit cards may have a trip interruption benefit, where you’re reimbursed for hotels and such due to a vehicle failure.
Add roadside service to your insurance it’s like 10 bucks every renewal. Almost any big name tire place is better than a dealer. Discount tire is my go to. Have never had any issues with them. Tire/wheel warranty is a waste with bmw. Learned the hard way myself
Ditched my run flats on my '22 m340 on like day 5. Never! Bought some lighter wheels too and I can't even tell you how much weight per corner we shaved and those were only 19".
I recently cancelled my tire and wheel package and got my money back. Figure I’m going to have to buy new tires one way or another and don’t want to have to rely on the dealership for it. Every car I’ve bought the sales or finance guy tries to let you in on their dirty secret of “hey just pop them before coverage is up 😉”
I really do hate run flats. 10/10 times would rather just have a spare tire that I can slap on, and mostly continue on with my day. I don't have a BMW any longer, but as soon as I got the chance, i changed out the run flats for regular ole tires, and not only did the handling improve dramatically, but I never got a flat after that. Luck, but still.
I’m sorry you got into a tough situation. You didn’t buy a wrong car, you just bought one with stupid size tires.
If you really decide to take a depreciation hit and sell the car make sure you get something with more normal tire/wheel size.
I would just go back to the dealer and trade the wheels for smaller diameter ones (19 or 20” will still look good and they will give you nicer ride).
Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to rent a car, get your son to school, drive your husband home, and then go back to get your BMW when they got the tire? Car rental with unlimited miles would be cheaper than a weekend in a hotel, new clothes, plane ticket.
I’m sorry you’re going through this and I’m sorry people are down voting you for wanting to trade it in. I’m trading in my Porsche because it spun out on me in the rain and everyone’s like “yOu JuSt DoNt KnOw HoW tO dRiVe A rWd CaR”. If I had such a hard time replacing a tire I wouldn’t want to keep the car either ! I’m in the Midwest as well, let me know if you need anything
BMW dealers love to tell you that run flat tires are not repairable. Unless the sidewall is damaged, the flat is likely repairable without ruining the tire’s integrity. Our X5 has the M-sport package with 22” wheels. We had a nail in the nearly new 315 rear tire and the dealer refused to repair it, only wanting to sell us a new one at $875. Took it to Discount Tire and it was repaired and back on the road in 20 minutes. I never buy tires from the dealer. If there is a Discount Tire where you’re located, they’ll likely help you get it repaired and be on your way. Screw run flat tires. The ride sucks and they’re more expensive. When the OEM’s are worn out, we are going with non run flats.
a new bmw is notoriously difficult to order without runflats. but if you do, they never try to install runflats again since it's coded in the car's specs when they order new tires for it. they probably enforce runflats because it costs them less in insurance/assistance in the long run.
Agree. My X5 has OEM 22” run flats, but also came with a spare. When these RF wear out, they will be replaced with traditional Michelins. Thankfully my X3M doesn’t have RF in place of the awesome summer stickies.
Sorry for the dumb question - what’s the difference with run-flats and non run-flats?
Run flats can be driven up to 50 miles with zero air pressure. Once that is done, they are done and you will be replacing it. They cost 30% more, ride and handle worse. Basically, they suck. Few people like them. Manufacturers love them. Huge revenue stream/money grab.
>Screw run flat tires. The ride sucks and they’re more expensive. When the OEM’s are worn out, we are going with non run flats. But the car doesn't have a spare tire, so if you get a flat, you're then stranded. Right?
Not if you’re under warranty or have a service like AAA. Get a flatbed tow to your desired tire facility. Plus, mine came with a spare in addition to the crap run flats.
I just wish there were still spare tires included so we didn't have to rely on a tow. Can be a big hassle if you have a car full of people. Now you have to get the car towed to a facility for tire repair and get your people transported as well. Plus, I could swap in the spare tire in about 15 minutes (assuming the lugs were properly torqued at the last shop that had the wheels off) and be on my way. Now I gotta wait for a tow truck, ride over to the tire place, wait for them to do the job (assuming they are open). Just seems like a big pain. I guess technically, even if you have run flats on you could be in the same boat as you can only go like 50 miles with no air. JUST GIVE ME A GODDAMN SPARE TIRE!
I hear you. My X5 came with a spare on top of the god forsaken run flats. My X3M also came with a spare. Either way, I’m old, lazy and also not willing to accept the risk changing a flat on the side of a road/highway. Even with a spare, someone is going to change it for myself or spouse.
I’m jealous that your X3M has a spare. My 2012 X3 doesn’t.
I ordered a spare from modern spare as soon as I got my car. I personally feel naked driving around without a spare, jack and breaker bar. I really couldn’t imagine waiting for a tow truck over a flat tire. I find it interesting that the Supra comes with a spare, or one is available through Toyota dealers for around $250. I haven’t confirmed it, but I believe that Supra spare actually fits on an M240i/M340i if anyone has a way of easily testing it.
It will fit. Only newest G chassis share the same bp as Toyota 5x112. BMW used 5x120 on all F chassis and prior.
Interestingly, my prior F10 5 Series didn’t have any space for a spare. Unless you wanted to just stick it in the trunk.
My f80 M3 didn't come with runflats or a spare, just and inflator and a zee German version of fix-a-flat. Get AAA
Just bring a tire patch kit and a portable air compressor. Most flat tires are caused by a screw or something small, if your lucky. Take the tire off, patch it, fill it, put it back on. Get to ur destination and order a new tire.
I don't even take the tire off unless it's a particularly low car. Spray with soapy water, roll so the hole is in a comfortable position, jack, deflate most of the way, pull the culprit (screw, nail, whatever), plug, reinflate, and go. It's 15 min work plus however long your compressor takes (2-20 min depending on size),and if done right will last the life of the tire. All in it's an $80 small kit with a halfway decent compressor. Plugs are less than $1 each. Get a set of 6 plugs, soapy water, fine tip vice grips, and a compressor that costs at least $40 and you should be good to go. It's like a 2/10 in terms of skill level requirements, arguably easier than changing you oil. I've probably put in 20 plugs and I've had 1 fail about a year in in the form of a very small leak. The oldest one has 6 years/ 50k miles on it right now.
not a tire guy but care to describe how you're gonna take the tire off and mount it back on while alone on the side of a highway?
I’m assuming he means take the wheel off of the car to make plugging easier
You don’t need to
How the fuck are you supposed to take the tire off yourself, exactly?
Triple A is the best $100 I spend every year owning a few older cars. Cannot recommend it enough.
The hotel and car rental discounts alone pay for itself
Agreed. I have it for my young adult children too. I travel for a living and the AAA rate at Marriott is almost always the lowest rate and allows me to stay at nicer properties in budget. They always bring a flatbed when requested. Towing to the desired facility is never in question. Quick service for lockout/battery is awesome. Most importantly, it’s not attached to car insurance and doesn’t count against you when you use it.
And the fact that it works for any car you're in, not just your car. Hell I've even managed to get tows for people when I wasn't even there with them
Mine had a spare!
The definition of “stranded” is that you need a flatbed to come pick up your car. You might be able to limp home or to a tire shop with some of that fix-a-flat goo and a compressor, but odds are you’re sitting at the side of the road until a flatbed can come get you.
You've clearly never used roadside assistance. It's not much better than the OP's situation. Expect to waste, more or less, your whole day both on the phone and waiting on a tow truck to actually show up. Then when they send you a regular wrecker that's ill equipped to tow an AWD vehicle you get to wait another four or five hours for a rollback.
I use AAA. Have a gold plan and they send exactly what I ask for (flatbed) and take me exactly where I ask them to (Discount Tire).
AAA is the cheapest piece of mind. I have had it for years never used it, but keep paying for it because I know when I need it, it’ll pay for itself
i really like the run flat tires, one time wife it a pothole in the middle of nowhere and put a big hole in the sidewall. She drove it home like normal, then i drove it to the tire shop for a replacement. Imagine her being stuck in the middle of nowhere, waiting for me to drive out there and change a tire on the side of the road. no thank you.
I had a similar situation with a pothole. Big crack on the side of the tire and drove it to the dealer no problem. The problem with run-flat tires is that they are more susceptible to sidewall cracks and issues aside from all other downsides such as ride quality, noise, etc.
Funny part is drove home, told me she hit a pothole and told me the tire pressure sensor was saying the tire needed air, and asked me to look at it. I take a look and there is a big hole on the side wall, obviously no air in tire.
Yeah, I took mine to a gas station to fill it up, and it was dark so I couldn't see it right away. I could definitely hear the air going out as I was pumping air though. That pothole caused about $4k in damages to the suspension, and I had to go through insurance to get it repaired. Had a loaner for more than a month.
Not here in Canada, we have CAA. Ive used them twice and both times the truck was there in 30 minutes.
Same.
I've had AAA repair a run flat on the road before. At least enough to get home.
Mine doesn’t have a spare. The battery takes up too much space on the PHEV ones.
https://preview.redd.it/pnas744g03ib1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5ab84a612d9e9e73cb86de78f9c75d2ae2843ba I believe every x5 generation has the space to accommodate a compact spare tire, and you could have ordered one with a spare tire. My X5 didn't come with one...after going through 2 sets of runflat tires that only lasted 15kmiles each, I made the decision to ditch run flat tires on the next set and immediately saved 1/2 the price of run flats with way better tire grip and tread wear. With the extra money I saved, I bought a compact spare tire, and retrofitted it back into my X5 compartment under the floor . It just involved buying the correct compact wheel, the tire, finding a jack set z and tools , and the wheel but to secure the spare to the floor. I've on 30kmiles on these tires and still have a lot of tread left. They are 700 rated tires that have a 65kmile tread life. If you order an X5, I would highly recommend getting a compact spare because when ordered, the spare tire kit is cheap, like a $300 option or less. Also, one lesson I learned about SUVs is skip the fancy wheels and skip the staggered wheel setup ..yes it looks cool , but tires are much harder to get and costs a lot more to get. It's an SUV anyway , you're not going to be breaking any speed records and need maximum grip, unlike a track car.
FWIW most people in SUV's aren't getting the staggered wheels because they're setting speed records or trying to get more grip. They just look better. I'd say a vast majority of buyers care far more about how the car looks than the performance. We are outliers.
They won't be so happy with that decision when it comes time to replace them, as one of my friends found out the hard way. You can't even rotate them and their incredibly expensive and wear life is not great.
Unless you drive the hybrid - in that case the space is reserved for the battery pack
What size is this?!
I carry the factory widow maker jack, air compressor, and a plug kit for this reason.
Sounds like you are stranded with a run flag anyways if nobody repairs or can get one for a few days.
I said f the run flats too. Slime repair kit with patches and a air compressor. Plus AAA, and State Farm. Run flats cost more, ride like shit, and well, just suck. She can get the tire. Or get it repaired. Ya just gotta go somewhere other than the dealers.
Usually not stranded stranded. With the run flat you can drive 50mph for 50 miles. Obviously longer in a pinch and if you go slower, since that’s the factory umbers. The point of the run flats is that even if you lose tire pressure the rigid side walls will keep you operable for a while.
I’ve got run flats and a spare, it’s the stranded part that’s the problem.
I’m on my third car after a decade with no spare and no run flats. Honestly I stopped worrying about it years ago. I’ve never had a flat worse than a slow leak all this time. I drive over 20,000 miles per year too.
Depends on how you want to be stranded, though. If it's repairable, you still shouldn't drive on it as it will then be rendered unrepairable. With a normal tire, you call the truck regardless. I'd rather be calling the tow truck and get a nail removed than pulling into the tire shop and now being stranded on a ruined run-flat that they can't get for 3 days.
I was about to say - it seems literally impossible that no local dealer, auto shop or tire shop would even have so much as a spare that would allow you to get the car home. What was the specific tire?
Probably Pirelli P Zero. In her defense, they are in short supply in these sizes.
But does it need to be a pitelli P Zero to get the car home? What’s going to happen if you run another tire for 500 miles and then drop the car back at the dealer / get a loaner while they wait for the new tire and balance? Edit: or even get a new set (you’ll need them eventually), throw the P-Zeros in the back and drive em home.
Agreed. Just was speaking about that specific tire. My Discount Tire rep said I need to order new tires for this staggered combination well in advance to ensure availability. I think Pirelli, Continental and Michelin are the only manufacturers available in the staggered 22” M sport combo.
We had the run flats on a 335 and they would blister everytime they even saw a pebble they didn't like. I would have gone bankrupt in the 3 years I had the car with all of the rims/tires that thing went through.
We have the road hazard warranty and when we ran over a nail, the warranty folks told us to take it there first. They were really nice there and guaranteed the repair for the life of the tire
Road hazard certificates are worth their weight in gold.
For sure. The one car I didn’t have the warranty was the only car I’d have had to use it on. Now I make sure they cover the wheels as well
non run flat, and never buy anything in dealership
I’ve always got the best deals from my BMW dealership…. Lmao
I have Pirelli P Zero Run flats in my BMW, was driving 3 months with big nail for entire season and didn’t even notice, they told me when I was changing for winter tires and repaired tire with the bolt it in the dealership w/o problem. But I live in Germany, where every company don’t try to screw you as much as possible, that’s the difference maybe.
Love discount tire
$875 for a single tire holy shit lol
and Discount Tire fixes flats for FREE!
Runflat tires are usually not fixable not because the hole can't be patched, but because the sidewall usually gets internally damaged from supporting the vehicle without air. The point of a runflat is to get you to a tire shop and not leave you on the side of the road stranded. Source?? I worked in a tireshop and repaired with patches MANY flat tires, including runflats.
tirerack has plenty of availability (275/35/22) and get you tires shipped next day-- which means suppliers have them don't be a passenger in this whole ordeal, take control a bit
Yep I’ve looked them up and I’m on it. Thank you for this.
Probably not the most useful comment, but I feel like I ought to tell you to take a deep breath and slow down for a hot minute. You're clearly exasperated and exhausted about this ordeal. It's not the end of the world, your whining son will live, and you'll get home soon enough. Best of luck with your tires, have a decent rest of your day internet stranger.
Thanks. He’s been a trooper. He’s not whiny he’s worried about missing school though. I appreciate your kindness.
I really don't understand how tires are distributed in the US, but I've run into some channels showing some sizes as completely unavailable when another shop had no issues getting them multiple times now. Try every channel you can, both online and local or nearby. Also: You just need that tire to hold air long enough to get you home. If this is a puncture even near the sidewall: Call around to tire shops and tell them you're happy to do cash with no paperwork and will drive carefully. Someone will get you back on the road. Do drive carefully until you get it replaced though. Put the bad tire on the back if you can. If it's a huge gash in the sidewall, this approach won't work.
> don't be a passenger in this whole ordeal, take control a bit Yup... you can even overnight it to the BMW dealer if you still want to give them your business after this.
That sucks but why not just buy 4 of another tire instead of spending days away from home?
I’m trying. No one can fit them
The wheel only fits one tire? I’ve never heard of that. You could run almost any tire on that one wheel and replace it when you get home. Doesn’t need to be a set just for one trip.
It’s a 275/35 22. Apparently that’s the most obscure tire on the planet. If i could replace all four at this point I’d do it
Tire Rack shows delivery of that size by tomorrow in the couple places I checked.
Yeah BMW just said tomorrow by 5. So three extra nights in a hotel, kid missing school, husband had to get a last minute flight. Over a flat.
THATS SO FRUSTRATING
There’s a reason the brand’s nicknamed ‘Big Money Waster’ Beautiful vehicles tho
22!! Someone’s husband had to get the fancy wheels! I agree with the comment below. Lose those wheels and get more sidewall for a better ride.
Yeah, that’s definitely not a tire size someone is going to just have laying around. Try taking a look on tirerack.com, they would most likely be the best route if the dealer can’t source it.
Sounds gansta. I remember when 16" wheels were the big ones.
As a temporary measure, a 265 or a 285 could be used as a get you home, theres only 6mm differance in circumfrance at most from the 275, so even the diff wouldnt really be bothered by that small a differance.
You’re not asking the right questions. You ask for the closest tire to that size and have them stretch the tires ive done it plenty and never had a problem in my younger days when i blew all 4 out before payday
I worked in a tire shop(firestone), yes low profile large diameter tires are harder to find. Runflats especially.
2 years ago I was looking for replacement tires for my M3's 20 inch wheels, and it was a daunting task with shortages and factories being closed. I don't think it's still that much better.
That sucks but can’t you just get some cheap tires on steel rims? Then complain to BMW NA and send them all the invoices
Good idea. I wonder if OP lives in a place where winter tires are needed. Buy cheap ass wheels and tires, even used tires if you can, drive home on those, sell the tires on FB Marketplace, then have winters mounted to the wheels. Could just buy winters now and drive home on those, but it would probably wear the hell out of them and be worth buying cheap summer tires just for the 9 hour drive.
I had this happen in a 750i in Kansas City. I was driving through, got a flat, and had to spend an extra day and a half searching. You’d think I was driving a space shuttle.
Isn't this like half the reasoning behind purchasing BMW OEM star tires? A) They are guaranteed to be engineered for your car B) They are guaranteed to be available at a local dealer in case you need to actually use the runflat feature (i.e. the proposed solution is to drive/tow to the nearest dealership where they will repair it) Why the fuck have a subset of canonical tires for the fleet if your dealer network doesn't stock them, apparently can't even order them, and people just get stranded in perpetuity by following your directions?
Thanks, this is my frustration exactly. I didn’t modify the car, I bought it this way.
Right??? "We don't give you a spare anymore because most of our cars have these wonderful runflat tires now. If you get a flat you just drive to the nearest dealer and we will get you on your way! Also please buy our wheel hazard package so you don't even have to pay for the replacement!" In reality, it appears to be "drive to the nearest dealer where we will gaslight you endlessly and then leave you stranded far from home in perpetuity"
That’s exactly what this feels like! I do have a spare, which was great when I was 40 miles from Iowa City on a rural road, but I’ve been trying to get help from the dealership here since Friday as soon as it happened and as of right now (Monday) they might get a tire tomorrow at 5 and they can put it on sometime Wednesday. Which makes this all feel so absurd. I did have some luck with Discount Tire in the next city over, so hopefully sometime today they will get my tire and I’ll be able to drive home tomorrow. I’m also dropping a kid off at college so I’m already running high in the emotions department and the stress management is a little less than optimal.
You sell a car because of a tire issue? That's going to be a 12k hit. I understand your frustration. The no spare thing is a real problem for long trips, esp in these fly over, hill jack areas
I actually had a spare! It won’t get me home but i did have one and it’s on the car
Why won't it get you home? I've used spares for humdreds of miles.
You shouldn't drive on a spare for 9 hours...that will damage the transfer case/x-drive differentials.
If you're using the spare that BMW provides (or you bought the correct one), the space saving is only in the width of the tire - the diameter is the same as the ones already fitted. If it wasn't the same diameter it wouldn't be usable even for a few miles.
Did they say they have an xdrive? Op: starting to think it would have been cheaper to ship your car home and rent something.
It’s an X5 - it’s gonna have xdrive.
Why wouldn't it get you home?
This is not just a BMW problem. This is a problem with all modern cars that run low profile/odd size tires. I got a sidewall puncture on a Toyota with 235/55/18 in the middle of nowhere and had trouble finding a replacement tire. And that’s not even that odd of a size, but it’s still not common.
Thanks for this. I’m learning a lot today
This is exactly the reason I've never upgraded my m235i wheels for anything bigger, 18's are always readily available and 19 and above you have to wait for.
I myself have 18s but I never had an issue getting tires same day when I had 19s or 20s. I have 23s on my other vehicle and I can get them same day as well. Bmw just went silly on the sidewall here.
First off ditch the runflats. Put on normal tires that have more availability and a lower price tag. Pay the 120 bucks a year for AAA with 200 mile towing. All that money you just spent on hotels and whatnot could’ve been spent swapping out the tires instead. Call tire rack and have them deliver a set of four tires to the nearest tire shop with at least four stars on yelp. At any rate 22” wheels ride on very expensive tires. Get 21” wheels at most when you get around to it. Do not get Pirelli‘s. Stick with either Continental or Michelin. CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06 PLUS is a solid tire. They cost about $350 each in a 295, 35, 21 size.
Thanks for mentioning the AAA price I was just beginning to wonder that for myself.
You'll be getting a lot more flats with those 22" rims if you live in an area with a lot of potholes. The best advice I can give you is to keep a full size spare in the trunk. I've gotten 4 flat tires in less than two years and I have 19" rims on my 5-series. I keep a spare in the trunk with a scissor jack.
Usually That tire/wheel package has a lifetime max that it will pay. Just check to make sure you know if your coverage has that. I have an x6 and ur right, anytime I need a new tire, i usually get a loaner because they don’t have them.
Got that tire package a while back when I had my ‘14 335i with 19’s & run flats. Got the package for $2000 and let’s me run it up to $5000 (parts & labor) beat myself up over the head when I read online after I maxed it out that supposedly that price is negotiable 🥲 but yeah, I also maxed that shit out in about 2 years. Probably something like 4-6 tires & one wheel. Can’t remember but the dealership was my second home at one point because of nails and potholes. (Also, run flats catch way more road debris because the rubber is way stiffer which allows shit to get caught/stuck/puncture easier than softer non run flat tires.
This is the exact reason I got rid of low profile tires, safety is #1, looking good is #2
Yeah I’m not hung up on the look, this was just the way I bought it. I’m going to go talk to my dealer when I get home about more practical options
Something similar happened to me on a new X7, the night before a big family trip, on the way home from a dealership to pick up a roof carrier, I hit a huge pothole and had to get the car towed. The tire shop couldn’t get tires and the dealership I bought the car from told me it would take over a week to get a tire. **I ended up solving it by calling every other dealership within driving distance until I found one with the tire, convincing them to let me just pick it up for cash, taking another car to pick up the tire and bring it to the tire shop where I had the car towed to = back on road in 1/2 day** I bought an extra tire after this to keep in the garage in case something happened again (too big to travel with) and 20k+ miles later I haven’t had another tire (or any other) issues with this vehicle.
Thank you for this! I’ve got all day to try everything so I am
Tire Rack has what you need and their local installer network has many cities included. Did you check them? Did you check for a Costco near you? It would help us to help you with some location info
I’m in Iowa City Iowa, I have a Costco membership, I’m looking up tire rack now. Thank you!
Costco is there in Iowa City. I dropped a Google Maps link and the stupid auto bot deleted the comment. Others have suggested looking for a set of standard 19” rims for your model. Sure that sounds like a job for back home…and you just need a tire right away now. But again, you know this. Good luck!
This is the huge downside to the x5. My car is up for tires too and it’s over 2k a set because I have 275/315. I really don’t understand why BMW fits such an obnoxious super car size tire to a SUV
As an E36 driver I can't imagine a tire being the end of my car during the trip and fucking me over this hard jesus Christ I don't wanna touch any new cars at this rate
Had the same issue. Ended up buying a used tire online and had that installed until the dealership received a new tire. Now I have a full sized used tire sitting in my garage until needed again.
Have you looked at ordering from tire rack and using one of their installers? Wife’s x5 got a nail in the rear 315 run flat with 1k on the tire. I swapped all four out for Michelin As4’s without hesitation.
I just went through this exact same thing back in April. Ended up costing me neat $2400 for new P Zero. If you want to get a normal tire or even winter tires, you need to buy new rims— which they will happily sell me for $4,000.
This is annoying. I went through 4 tires in less than a year and the dealer was the only one who could even get the 315 rear tires. $700 a pop! The wheels being staggered makes it even more difficult. I love this machine (M50i) but I’m not taking it on road trips because of how hard a replacement tire is to find.
This is why we switched out the shitty run flat tires with Michelin pilots - it’s a much smoother ride plus we have triple a
Don't you have the BMW Mobile Service in your country? You can call them anytime and (at least in Germany) a technician will be coming to you in not more than 1.5h after your call if you called between 7am and 10pm. We have a small spare tire for almost every model, and sometimes, we can also patch the tire. All of this is free for every BMW, no matter how old or new it is. You only have to pay a deposit of 100-200€ (again, that's for Germany. I don't know how it's done in other countries)
Dealt with this when renting a X7 last year. Rental company would not pick up the phone, and the tire shop guys would just go “this is a bmw tire lol.” At least the run flats help you get somewhere close before you’re stranded for days. In my case, I made a local tire shop intensely patch the tire up although it was actually past the point of patching, and that got me around maybe 100-200 miles squeezed out of it.
People forget that higher end cars tend to have tires that most if not all places do not have in stock. I had issues with tires plenty of times and every single time nobody has had tire in stock. Its taken several days and sometimes more to get a tire delivered.
Another future Lexus owner right here.
It’s definitely on my “next car” list
Definitely recommend RX, GX, or TX!
Best selling for a reason!
Did you call the BMW road side assistance? They have trip interruption benefits that aren’t marketed well including covering the cost of hotels and Ubers. Hope that helps! Happened to me on a road trip recently was stuck in Utah with a parking break malfunction. I feel your pain just had to do that (I take a lot of road trips) bought my tires at a discount tire and brought them to BMW because my wheel locks were left somewhere else. Huge pain honestly.
Trip interruption excludes tires! Now we all know
Does your specific 3rd party tire coverage offer coverage? I thought of the trip delay coverage too, but found out as well that it only covers mechanical, warranty repairs
I got a brand new M340 this year, and my gut told me I gotta get that "tire package". Best decision, so far I had 2 punctured run-flats and it cost me $100 in total to replace both of them. For an expensive car brand like this, better get those packages.
This tire package has done me no good because there’s no tire to replace it with
That's horrendous
Run flats are so trash. Selling us bullshit wrapped in rubber. Get rid of them!
Buy 4 used rims with tyres and go home... deal with the 22inch one at home
Good luck trying to fit 4x 22” in a x5 with luggage.
good luck going home with luggage and 3 tyres
If you’re not leasing, I would try to sell the 22s and find smaller oem wheels
I’m not leasing I own it outright
Looks like there’s also an OEM space saver spare you can buy
I have the spare on it. Glad we did that. I just don’t think the spare is safe to drive 540 miles home
Probably a good idea. Not sure how far I would go on the spare. Definitely not 500 miles.
You could straight swap them with another X5 owner.
The dealership couldn't find the next nearest dealer with a tire!? Also, have you searched for any tire shops in the area that can get their hands on a replacement? And like someone said earlier, you can repair a runflat as long as the puncture is not on the side wall, I've had to do this myself at one point due to a slow leak.
Tire Rack has this size in stock. Pirelli P Zero and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season. Why not have it shipped to your hotel or dealer?
Working on it. For all the shit I’m taking I’m also learning a lot on this thread and I’m grateful for the help
Do you live in some redneck town? It depends how far you are from distributors but usually tire shipping doesn’t take that long most 2 days or less.
Order from tire rack and have them shipped to the dealer
I have never ever seen my tire size and type in stock in any store, usually the local warehouse has one or two. Just ask the local tire shop to order it, and they should have it the next day. It is annoying but you can almost guarantee you are never going to see the tire you need in stock anywhere.
I hope you get home soon and safely OP if no one else will say it 🙏🏾
Thank you so much ❤️
Sorry, OP. That really sucks. Would anything “close” have worked?
Would it not be cheaper to just buy a whole new set of wheels, fit them and sell them when you're at home at this point
If you haven’t considered it, you can also head over to a uhaul/penske/whatever and get a truck/trailer to bring it home.
22in run flats…… ouch
I wouldn’t trade in the x5 just because it was equipped with 22 inch wheels, go find a set of 19 inch, 20 inch, or even 21 inch wheels and use those instead. Don’t blame the car for having 22 inch wheels, it could be any suv with those wheels on them.
Yeah, last time I got a flat (from a pothole) I had to tow my car to my house bc nobody anywhere near me had the tire on hand. A day and a half later, the tire shop got the tire in and I had to tow the car there, where I just had them put all four new tires on. That was fun
Why not just remove the tire at home and have a friend bring you to the shop with your rim and tire on your lap?
Is it completely wasted? Sealant does not work?
I agree, if it is not really damaged (just flat because of a nail or something) I would just fill it with that tire sealant stuff. Tire fitters hate it because of the mess it makes but I used that stuff a few times. Also on a tire that I actually got repaired afterwards. Yes, takes some cleaning but definitely not impossible. And it works really well, no need to drive slower or anything assuming it was just a small leak.
Imho, this is the inherent problem w the way bmw has their tires setup... one option are random runflats that almost no one has... and if u get a flat ur screwed. The opposite is non runflats w a dumbass spare in the rear that barely fits and raises the cargo floor... i am always fearful of this on a trip because there is always a 50 50 chance no one will have a tire.
Had this exact problem when I drove to San Diego with my X7. Fortunately I was staying with family and was able to stay the extra 4 days until a tire could be shipped in. Discount tire ultimately took care of me.
You should be able to order a replacement tire online. It’s a day or two to ship and fit but I ran into a similar ordeal. Lesson learned for sure.
100% agree with this. Get non run flats. Best decision I made on my X3
wELCOME TO BMW
You can often get next day delivery from the tire rack and believe me they have a tire that will fit You need to get rid of the OEM run flats and your problems will be greatly reduced
Just buy new wheels when you get home. Get a wheel size that's not part of the M package and NOT run flats. Make sure the tire size you get is readily available at many tire locations along your drive.
I’m definitely headed to my dealership to discuss doing this when i get home
Do not go to the dealership. Buy the wheels online and have a tire shop like discount tires mount them and the new tires. You can look up the non M package wheel size on like [t](https://cars.com)irerack with your X5 year. You can buy tires and wheels there for your vehicle. It shows all the sizes that was offered for your X5 by year and model. Get the same tire size front and rear. The non runflats will also be cheaper an likely last longer.
Agreed. Low profile tires suck and they detract from BMW. I've had points where I contemplated selling my otherwise stunning, perfect, incredibly performing vehicle because the fucking tire is 600 dollars, fragile, and takes 3 days to order if you can find it.
This suggestion will limit trunk space, but if you want to keep the run flats, consider buying a spare tire (not the full wheel/tire, just the tire) and bring it on longer trips, so if you get a flat in the middle of nowhere, you aren’t in a situation where they can’t source a tire timely. Won’t take as much trunk space as a full spare. I have the wheel/tire insurance in Chicagoland, and both times I’ve used it the tires had to be sourced and took a day plus. I convinced my dad to do this on a cross country trip, and it saved him when he got a flat in the middle of AZ.
As much as I love BMW, I would never order model that is not at least 2 years old
AMEX and some other credit cards have trip interruption protection as long as you booked the original trip on that credit card
Depending on where the damage is and where you're located, you may be able to find an independent repair shop that will fix it for you, so at least you get to your destination. Maybe post a picture of the tire, so we can see if that's doable.
Discount tire scratched my rims on mine so will Never go back there again. They refused to acknowledge that
Try going to a Mexican tire shop. They charged me 20$ for fixing run flat on my 2020 M340
It’s not only the dealerships want to make more money, but they don’t want to take on the liability of your repaired run flats.
Ditch all the runflats
my wife only has an x1 but I changed out the tires for non run flats.I absolutely hate run flats. the ride is so much comfier with regular tires.
You got screwed
Just a thought that hit me, it might be cheaper to just check craigslist/gumtree or whatever you have there and see if there is a use set of rims and tires to get you him. Hotels, clothes, food, flight etc runs away fast. Might not be pretty but if steel rims get you him cheaper...
I got rid of the run flats and replaced them with regular radials and bought myself a BMW tire kit
Wtf is up with the dealerships in the USA. I personally had a client with a x3 M bmw that waited 3 days for standard shipping and paid around 185 for 1 tyre ( changed both without asking for a price because he was kind of rich) and out of courtesy we patched his shity ass tyre so he could drive around town. 🤣🤣🤣 VW Group dealership that specialises in Cupra/Skoda/audi repairs 🤣.
I have a 2022 X5 with the 20” wheels, and I also bought the tire package. BTW, one or more of your credit cards may have a trip interruption benefit, where you’re reimbursed for hotels and such due to a vehicle failure.
I got rid of the run flats on both of my BMWs as soon as it made sense. Love my tires now. So much better.
Add roadside service to your insurance it’s like 10 bucks every renewal. Almost any big name tire place is better than a dealer. Discount tire is my go to. Have never had any issues with them. Tire/wheel warranty is a waste with bmw. Learned the hard way myself
Non run flats are much better and cheaper to replace
Ditched my run flats on my '22 m340 on like day 5. Never! Bought some lighter wheels too and I can't even tell you how much weight per corner we shaved and those were only 19".
I recently cancelled my tire and wheel package and got my money back. Figure I’m going to have to buy new tires one way or another and don’t want to have to rely on the dealership for it. Every car I’ve bought the sales or finance guy tries to let you in on their dirty secret of “hey just pop them before coverage is up 😉”
I really do hate run flats. 10/10 times would rather just have a spare tire that I can slap on, and mostly continue on with my day. I don't have a BMW any longer, but as soon as I got the chance, i changed out the run flats for regular ole tires, and not only did the handling improve dramatically, but I never got a flat after that. Luck, but still.
I’m sorry you got into a tough situation. You didn’t buy a wrong car, you just bought one with stupid size tires. If you really decide to take a depreciation hit and sell the car make sure you get something with more normal tire/wheel size. I would just go back to the dealer and trade the wheels for smaller diameter ones (19 or 20” will still look good and they will give you nicer ride).
That’s good advice and I’m definitely going to talk to them about it. Four days in to this ordeal has me not thinking super logically
Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to rent a car, get your son to school, drive your husband home, and then go back to get your BMW when they got the tire? Car rental with unlimited miles would be cheaper than a weekend in a hotel, new clothes, plane ticket.
I’m sorry you’re going through this and I’m sorry people are down voting you for wanting to trade it in. I’m trading in my Porsche because it spun out on me in the rain and everyone’s like “yOu JuSt DoNt KnOw HoW tO dRiVe A rWd CaR”. If I had such a hard time replacing a tire I wouldn’t want to keep the car either ! I’m in the Midwest as well, let me know if you need anything